IN CONCERT
What: Bruce Cockburn
Where: Royal Theatre
When: Friday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $57.50-$89.75 from the Royal McPherson box office (250-386-6121) or
Bruce Cockburn is no different than other writers who make their living through music. Some new compositions sit around for years, such as Gifts, which was written in 1968 but didn鈥檛 appear on an album by Cockburn until 2011鈥檚 Small Source of Comfort. Others spend considerably less time on the shelf.
Making music is an interesting process for the 13-time Juno Award winner, who always seems to be flipping between the past and present, deeply adverse to the idea of stasis. He could have taken an easy route when making his latest recording, Crowing Ignites. He could have settled into an easy groove for his 26th studio album. But he chose to push forward into another phase of his career, one of the most illustrious in 91原创 music. What emerged were 11 new instrumental compositions that find Cockburn still exploring the outer acres of his very capable, very esteemed guitar talents.
鈥淥ur original plan for this album was to make Speechless 2, because there鈥檚 a whole album left over from pieces we didn鈥檛 use,鈥� Cockburn said of Crowing Ignites, the second instrumental album of his career after 2005鈥檚 Speechless. 鈥淲e could have made a pretty nice album out of that, but I ended up with so much new stuff it took on its own life.鈥�
The songs on Crowing Ignites say plenty, even though they don鈥檛 have words.
The new song Sweetness and Light was written on a particularly positive day, Cockburn said; the title simply reflected what he was feeling at the time. Easter was written on the holiday of the same name, while April in Memphis was written, on Martin Luther King Day, in reference to the anniversary of King鈥檚 death. Naming songs is never difficult, especially when lyrics are involved. But with an instrumental album, the task is more of an abstract exercise, he said with a laugh.
鈥淭here is an element of pointing at ideas or notions in the title-giving stage, but the music is just the music. The issue of 鈥榮aying something鈥� comes into it not so much in the inventing of the music, because what I want to say is the music itself. But you have to give these pieces titles, otherwise you鈥檙e stuck with Opus Such and Such. I don鈥檛 care for that approach.鈥�
Cockburn, 74, is ending a brief break from the road (spent at home in San Francisco, with his wife and daughter) with a string of dates to support Crowing Ignites. He鈥檒l be joined for his nearly sold-out show at the Royal Theatre on Friday by his nephew, John Aaron Cockburn, on accordion and guitar. Cockburn enlists his full band when the shows call for sonic sophistication, but he鈥檚 enjoying the understated approach the duo set-up provides. 鈥淔or this time period and the nature of the album 鈥� it鈥檚 basically just a bunch of solo guitar 鈥� it didn鈥檛 seem appropriate to celebrate that album with a band, particularly.鈥�
Shows on his 91原创 run won鈥檛 be heavily focused on the new album, and the new songs he is committed to doing will be presented in a redesigned manner, Cockburn said. 鈥淎 piece called Blind Willie, for instance, where Colin Linden plays a great slide guitar part on the album, will be done by John Aaron on the accordion. They will have a different feel, but they give you the same kind of rootsy energy that the recorded version has.鈥�
That Cockburn chose to make an album with no lyrics at a time when he could have said something powerful was a curious decision. Long outspoken, on topics ranging from Christianity and environmental disaster to war, many expected him to offer his eloquence on climates both political and personal. He never felt pressure to add his voice to chorus, however, which at this point in his career should go without saying. Of the songwriters working today, Cockburn 鈥� who recently offered his thoughts about the environment on False River, a song from 2017鈥檚 Bone on Bone 鈥� is as credentialled as anyone, and has nothing to prove in 2019.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 felt motivated to add to the clamour,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verybody who listens to me, or takes me seriously, knows what we鈥檙e dealing with here, and would agree with me on what I鈥檇 say about Donald Trump, et cetera. Donald Trump gets more attention than he deserves as it is, he doesn鈥檛 need help from me in that regard.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like I鈥檝e been silent on that stuff. People are wondering: 鈥榃hy an instrumental album now?鈥� But I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a meaningful issue, that I did an instrumental album now. I could have done it at any time. It wasn鈥檛 a case of: 鈥楯eez, I don鈥檛 want to talk about this now or talk about that now.鈥� There鈥檚 lots to talk about, but there鈥檚 also lots of talking going on, and nobody is really paying attention to what is being said.鈥�
